Toast
Restaurant POS systems
Retail POS systems
HCM software
Core HR software
Payroll software
Restaurant management software
POS software
Hospitality software
Restaurant software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
Take the quiz to check if Toast and its alternatives fit your requirements.
$0 per month
Free TrialFree version
Small
Medium
Large
- Accommodation and food services
- Public sector and nonprofit organizations
- Retail and wholesale
What is Toast
Toast is a cloud-based point-of-sale and restaurant operations platform designed for foodservice businesses such as quick-service, full-service, and multi-location restaurants. It combines POS, payments, online ordering, delivery integrations, kitchen display, and reporting in a single system, with optional modules for payroll and team management. The product is typically deployed on purpose-built Android hardware and is sold as an integrated software-and-payments offering. It is used to run front-of-house and back-of-house workflows while centralizing menu, pricing, and operational data.
Restaurant-focused POS workflows
Toast includes features commonly required in restaurants, such as table management, coursing, modifiers, split checks, and kitchen display system support. These capabilities reduce the need for add-ons that are more common with general-purpose POS tools. The platform also supports multi-location menu and pricing management for operators with more than one site.
Integrated payments and operations
Toast tightly integrates card-present and online payments with POS transactions, which simplifies reconciliation and reporting. The same platform can support online ordering, gift cards, loyalty, and delivery partner integrations, depending on configuration. This consolidation can reduce the number of separate vendors needed to run day-to-day restaurant operations.
Broad add-on module ecosystem
Toast offers optional modules for functions beyond POS, including payroll, team management, and scheduling, plus integrations via its partner ecosystem. This allows restaurants to expand functionality without replacing the core POS. Centralized reporting across modules can help operators compare sales, labor, and operational metrics in one place.
Payments tie-in and fees
Toast is commonly sold as an integrated POS-and-payments solution, which can limit flexibility for businesses that want to use a different payment processor. Total cost depends on hardware, subscription tiers, and payment processing terms, which can be difficult to compare across vendors. Switching away from the bundled model may require contract changes and operational reconfiguration.
Restaurant-first fit for retail
While Toast can be used for certain counter-service and retail-adjacent scenarios, its core design centers on restaurant workflows. Businesses that primarily need retail features such as complex item catalogs, variants, or advanced retail inventory may find gaps compared with retail-first POS products. Some retail use cases may require workarounds or additional integrations.
Complexity for small operators
The platform’s breadth (POS, online ordering, loyalty, labor, payroll) can increase setup and ongoing administration for small teams. Menu configuration, device management, and permissions often require careful planning to avoid operational issues. Organizations without dedicated operations or IT support may need implementation assistance and training to fully use the system.
Plan & Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Starter Kit | $0/month | Ideal for single-location restaurants who need 1–2 terminals; hardware kit with no upfront costs; appears aimed at new customers/single locations. Pricing applies to new customers and single locations; includes first hardware terminal subscription (additional device charges may apply). |
| Point of Sale | $69/month | Monthly software subscription for core POS functionality and flat-rate processing; choose your own hardware. |
| Build Your Own | Custom pricing | Customizable full-platform solution (select features/add-ons such as Payroll, Online Ordering, Inventory, Marketing, etc.); contact sales for a quote. |
Seller details
Toast, Inc.
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
2011
Public
https://pos.toasttab.com/
https://x.com/toasttab
https://www.linkedin.com/company/toast-inc/
